


the only truth (is music)

by dapperyklutz



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers Family, Fluff, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Love Confessions, M/M, Post-Avengers (2012), Steve Rogers's Birthday, Team as Family, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-06-05 09:00:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15167216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dapperyklutz/pseuds/dapperyklutz
Summary: Tony's freaking out because it's almost Steve's birthday and he still doesn't know what present to get for the man he's in love with. Until one day Steve hears him humming to himself while deep in thought, and the super soldier admits he finds Tony's voice really nice.





	the only truth (is music)

**Author's Note:**

> This took me about five hours to write, and I'm waaaay past my bedtime now. Anyway, happy Fourth of July, America. And Happy 100th Birthday, Captain Steven G. Rogers. We love you, Dorito.
> 
> Title is from Jack Kerouac's quote.
> 
> Unbeta'd. Enjoy reading!

So Tony has a problem.

Steve’s birthday is coming up in a week and the engineer still hasn’t thought of what to gift the super soldier. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. How utterly preposterous, yes — no need to rub it in. Tony, for all the wealth he has and the genius-level intellect he possesses, he’s still unable to come up with _anything_ that he deems worthy enough to give to Steve.

Because Steve is, well, _Steve_. He’s America’s golden boy. It’s probably why he got the Captain America title in the first place. Maybe. But whatever, that’s a subject Tony will mull over for another time, he’s got priorities right now. Anyway, Steve is Steve, and Tony honestly admits to himself ( _especially_ to himself. He’s not in denial at all. Well, not anymore, anyway — shut up) that he is completely, madly, desperately in love with the blond man. Has been for the past couple years since they saved New York as The Avengers the very first time.

It’s actually pretty pathetic how crazy Tony is for Steve. The engineer would even go as far as to accept the very sad fact that the rest of his teammates, bar Steve for obvious reasons, are painfully aware of Tony’s feelings for their leader. Tony’s not certain how long they might’ve known, but he’s guessing that they’ve known it for almost as long as Tony’s been in love with Steve. So, _yeah_. That long. Pretty fucking long.

God.

Okay, enough of these feelings talk! Besides, he has more important things to think about.

Like what gift to buy — or build — for Steve’s upcoming birthday. Which is happening in a week.

And to think that Tony’s been planning this for the past, oh, _four months_. Yeah, _planning_ being the operative word.

The thing is, if it were someone else, Tony wouldn’t have thought twice and just buy that person a ridiculously expensive gift that they want (but don’t need).

For example, last year he bought Clint one of the original Storm Trooper costumes from Disney (who bought Lucasfilm, _holy shit_ ). That was expensive as fuck, and Tony had to pull several strings in order to buy one. But he did, and the gobsmacked expression on the archer’s face once he opened his gift from Tony all those months ago was so worth it. Or even that time when Tony was in his early- to mid-20’s and he bought Rhodey a classic Rolls Royce car as a congratulatory gift when his best friend was promoted from Captain to Major.

Yet, when it came to one Steven Grant Rogers, he’s at a complete and utter loss.

He doesn’t want this birthday to be the same like the previous ones. Tony wants it to be special, _different_. Because if there’s one thing Tony is, it’s that he wants to take everything to the next level. From the gifts to the actual celebration, he wants this year to be better.

Like last year, Tony bought out The Metropolitan Museum of Art for _two days_ prior to Steve's birthday — just so that the super soldier (and Tony, who was invited by the blond man after practically begging him to come along. And who’s Tony to say ‘no’ to that adorable puppy-dog face? _God_ ) can take his time roaming around the place and taking in each artwork to his heart’s content. Then on his actual birthday, they celebrated it by spending a long weekend at the engineer’s Hamptons residence, where everyone — including Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, Jane Foster, and Darcy Lewis — ate and drank until their eyes crossed (except for Bruce and Rhodey who elected to be the “responsible adults”; and also Steve because of the super serum) around the campfire they made, and then went night swimming afterwards.

Two years before that, it was a simpler celebration, wherein it was just The Team in Avengers Tower. They all pitched in to make something for dinner, which resulted in six superheroes gathered around the kitchen, weaving past and around each other to finish cooking and preparing the food they were going to eat. Bruce cooked Steve’s favorite Indian dishes, with the birthday celebrant helping out (as usual, nothing new); Natasha made a Russian stew that looked mouthwatering and tasted absolutely _divine_. Tony, Clint, and Thor tag-teamed and baked a two-tier chocolate cake that ended up looking slightly burnt, yet it tasted delicious. Tony also dealt with the drinks; thankfully, he had a cellar located in the mansion he used to live growing up. He’s no connoisseur, but Tony has an extensive taste and knowledge, and since it was Steve’s first year in the twenty-first century that time, the engineer took three bottles of Macallan 1947 ( _thanks, Howard_ ). Which, no surprise, they all finished within two hours.

Oh, and for that year, Tony built Steve his own art studio on the 88th floor, a level above the super soldier’s apartment. Not only that, but he also got him a complete set of the best art supplies money can buy. To say that Steve was happy with his gifts (because Tony doesn’t spare _any_ expenses at all, thank you very much) would be putting it mildly. Steve was fucking _ecstatic_ when Tony showed him everything, and the extra tight, extra long hug he received from the super soldier was testament enough to how happy he was.

So yeah.

With those past birthday celebrations in mind, Tony knows he has to step up his game. And that, regrettably, is where his mind comes up blank. It seems that the more he overthinks, the less he’s able to come to a decision on what to do.

Sighing despondently, Tony waves a hand and the blue holograms displaying the specs for Clint’s arrowheads and Natasha’s Widow’s Bite disappear. There’s no fucking way he’ll be able to focus on his work now if he’s going to keep this up.

“Sir,” Jarvis’ voice interrupts Tony’s current train of thought, bringing the engineer back to the present. “If I may suggest, Miss Potts might be able to aid you in your current predicament.”

What?

“You’ve been talking to yourself for the past thirty minutes about what to get for Captain Rogers’ birthday, sir.”

Oh, shit. Has been talking out loud this whole time?!

“Yes, sir,” is the dry response of his sassy AI.

Tony groans out loud before his eyes swivel around his workshop.

“Did anyone—” he rasps out. It’s only now he realizes that his throat is dry and his voice is hoarse from talking out loud and to himself for the past half hour. _Fuck._

Jarvis answers in the negative, and Tony sighs loudly in relief. Next, he considers what his AI previously suggested. It takes another few minutes for him to weigh his options before he makes a decision.

“J, call Pepper,” he says, picking up a gauntlet and toying with the sensor.

“Yes, sir.”

“Thanks, buddy.” There’s more weight in Tony’s voice when he says those words.

Unsurprisingly, his AI picks up on it, for he says in a warm tone, “It’s my pleasure, sir.”

As the phone rings, Tony exhales.

Yeah. Okay, Pepper would be able to help him out with this. Totally.

Tony just hopes her advice — or ideas, because Pepper often has good ideas — is something he can agree on.

* * *

It’s three days before the party and Tony still hasn’t a clue on what he can give Steve for his birthday. The talk with Pepper proved, well, surprisingly fruitless. The new CEO of Stark Industries was buried elbows deep in paperwork when Tony called her, so to say that the woman was mad for his interruption was an understatement. Eventually, after yelling at Tony to get his head out of his ass and to just _stop overthinking, Tony, you’re only pressuring yourself_ , Pepper calmed down. The only helpful advice she gave Tony was:

“Sometimes, Tony, the answer you need is right in front of you. How about, for once, you do something that doesn’t require spending money? Or building something? Especially when it comes to Steve, I think he tends to lean towards the ‘it’s the thought that counts’ notion. Just think about it, okay?”

Out of everything she said then, the only thing that stuck to Tony’s mind was the _it’s the thought that counts_ part. There’s something niggling at the back of his mind upon hearing Pepper utter those words, but for some reason Tony is still unable to come up with an idea of _what_ he can do.

He just hopes he comes up with one sooner rather than later because he's starting to get desperate.

“Tony?”

Tony hums in response, still too lost in his thoughts that he doesn’t register the voice speaking from behind him.

“Um. You’ve been staring at the fridge for the past three minutes now. Are you okay?”

Suddenly, Tony blinks twice, and he jerks in surprise before he closes the fridge at last. Puzzled, the engineer looks over his shoulder to see Steve looking at him with a concerned expression.

“Hmm?”

If anything, the super soldier’s frown deepens at Tony’s incoherent response. Steve closes the small gap between them until they’re only a foot from each other. Tony finds himself swallowing inaudibly at the close proximity, his heart starting to beat a staccato rhythm against his ribcage. Next, he feels Steve rest one large, warm hand on his elbow, and Tony blinks again before looking up to meet Steve’s baby blues.

God, he’s so beautiful.

“Tony, are you okay? You’re worrying me a bit here,” Steve asks, trailing his hand from Tony’s elbow to his forearm and squeezing it lightly.

Tony has to physically shake his head to clear his muddled thoughts before he can manage a coherent response.

“Yeah! Yeah, I’m fine, Cap. Don’t worry about me, I’m just thinking. Of, um, designs. For a, uh, another Starkphone upgrade.”

It’s obvious that Steve doesn’t believe him — seriously? He can lie better than this, but oh well, it’s just not his week — and after another minute of studying Tony in contemplation, he notices Steve’s shoulders droop slightly as he nods his head once.

“If you’re sure,” the blond man says, still looking at Tony with doubt.

Tony forces himself to roll his eyes before he musters a cheeky grin. “Hells yeah, I’m sure! Sorry for, uh, worrying you? Nothing wrong, I swear. Just been a tiring week, is all.”

This time, Steve’s brows furrow. “You haven’t been sleeping again.” It’s more of a statement than a question, if the underlying tone of accusation is anything to get by.

Tony just blinks. He’s not gonna deign him with an answer ‘cos, well.

Steve sighs and then shakes his head. “We can cancel the party —”

At this, Tony reacts. Wide-eyed and most probably looking panicked (that’s how he feels, so no doubt he’s projecting his emotions like bright, neon signs), he shakes his head repeatedly as he exclaims, “Are you crazy?! We’ve been planning this since May! No fucking way we’re cancelling your party, Cap. Besides, we’ve sent the invites weeks ago and everyone RSVP’d already. So nuh-uh, no backing out.”

The super soldier rolls his eyes good-naturedly, but he ends up smiling softly at Tony.

“Okay, but we compromise. Promise me that you’ll at least get a solid eight hours tonight? If you manage to get more, then I’ll be beyond thrilled.”

“Deal. I mean, I promise. Wanna pinky swear on that?”

Steve just shakes his head as he chuckles when Tony raises his pinky, a shit-eating grin gracing the engineer’s face when he sees Steve’s face light up.

“Jarvis, will you please—”

“Alarm has already been set, sir,” the AI swiftly cuts, sounding amused.

“Thanks, J.”

“Always a pleasure, sir.”

Tony shoots the ceiling a fond smile before he looks down to meet Steve’s eyes. He claps a hand on one broad shoulder before he slowly (albeit reluctantly, though hopefully Steve doesn’t notice) pulls away from Steve’s firm but gentle hold on his arm.

“Well, I guess I should hit the sack now.”

Steve smiles at him and nods, looking pleased that Tony’s finally deciding to sleep, regardless that it’s only past three in the afternoon. Oh, well, it’s not like Tony doesn’t have fucked up sleeping habits, anyway.

“Sweet dreams, Tony,” Steve’s voice calls out softly to Tony’s retreating back.

Tony looks over his shoulder to wink at him, and he catches sight of the super soldier flushing slightly at the gesture. He’s about to reach the elevator, the doors already open and waiting for him to enter, when he hears Steve’s voice call out to him again.

He turns around, eyebrows raised in question.

Steve hesitates for a moment, but finally he stutters out, “Um. I don’t know if you were aware, but you were kind of singing earlier. When you were standing in front of the fridge. Uh, I don’t know the song, but your voice — it sounded really nice. I mean, you have a very nice singing voice. Just, um, saying.”

And then he turns his back on Tony to open one of the cupboards above the sink, rummaging for whatever food he’s craving for. Gaping open-mouthed for several seconds, Tony snaps his mouth shut, mind racing at what he’s just heard.

He was singing? What the fuck? He wasn’t even aware he was still capable of doing that. Tony remembers forcing himself to grow out of that mindless habit in his teens after good ol’ Howard ordered him to cut out his nonsensical humming. It was mostly that, actually — nonsensical humming — but there were times back then when Tony, too deep in his thoughts with designs and equations, would hum songs under his breath. Most of the time, the lyrics are wrong, especially if they were songs he heard on the radio in passing. But sometimes, they don’t even have lyrics, and Tony just hums the tune under his breath while spouting random lyrics on-the-fly.

Tony isn’t sure how he developed that habit, but if he dares to reminisce further, he’d pin it down to his mom. His childhood, although not completely a happy one, was still filled with love and laughter, mostly thanks to his mom and Jarvis the butler. He can vaguely recall his mom humming to Tony when he was sick, or when he would have nightmares. Actually, Maria Stark was a musically gifted woman, and she was the person who taught Tony how to play the piano and violin. She was also the one who taught him how to sing — well, it was more of Tony reading notes and copying his mom until he eventually learned it all.

So when he heard Steve said those things to him, Tony was momentarily taken aback, images of his childhood flashing through his mind’s eye in a span of seconds. He barely registers that he’s reached the penthouse and has just entered his room when the gears in his brain halts at one thought.

“Son of a bitch,” he mutters to himself. He’s standing in the middle of his bedroom, dressed only in his boxers and white vest, when he finally has that _Eureka!_ moment.

He knows now what to give Steve for his birthday.

* * *

Following a solid ten hours of sleep, Tony wakes up feeling rejuvenated and motivated. Once he’s showered and dressed, he makes a quick stop at the communal kitchen to eat some cereal and brew himself a cup of coffee before he beelines for his workshop. After ordering Jarvis to darken the glass walls and lock the doors, he gets to work.

He has several hologram screens up and running in no time. While working on upgrades for Clint’s quiver and looking up ways to prolong the durability of Bruce’s stretchy pants, he has Jarvis order him a Steinway & Sons grand piano to be delivered directly to his penthouse by mid-day. Next, he goes on YouTube and listens to the song he’s decided to sing to Steve while he was in the shower.

He remembers Pepper’s advice a few days ago.

_“Especially when it comes to Steve, I think he tends to lean towards the ‘it’s the thought that counts’ notion. Just think about it, okay?”_

Well, Tony’s thought long and hard (he-he) about it, alright, and he’s gonna stick by his decision. With a deep breath, he steadies himself before repeating the song once more. With less than two days until the party,Tony feels a tendril of panic go through him at the lack of time he has to practice. Thankfully, he can also learn by ear instead of reading notes, but regardless of that tidbit, he wants his performance to be flawless.

Because he’s doing this for Steve, and it’s Tony’s _gift_ for the man. If there’s one thing Tony isn’t, it’s that he doesn’t do things halfway. It's either you go big or you go home, and Tony is far from doing the latter.

It’s the thought that counts, he repeats to himself again.

Still, Tony hopes he doesn’t make a complete ass of himself.

* * *

The party is in full swing at the communal area. Tony and the others invited select people from SHIELD (excluding Fury, because apparently the Director doesn’t do this kind of thing. Whatever), a couple of Stark Industries employees, including Pepper and Happy.

Tony, the gracious host that he is, mingled with all of their guests first for the first hour. When Steve finally made his entrance (Tony and the others made sure to get the point across that the birthday celebrant must be fashionably late, _or else_ ), almost everyone gathered around the slightly overwhelmed super soldier to greet him a happy birthday.

It took twenty minutes until all the guests got to pat Steve on the back, or hug him, or kiss him on the cheek. Tony definitely doesn’t combust with jealousy when he spots one SHIELD agent manage to peck a blushing Steve on the apple of cheek. _He doesn’t_ , but if the knowing looks his teammates were giving him were any indication, then Tony thinks he was doing a poor job of concealing his emotions.

Fuck. Whatever.

When Steve reaches Tony’s side a few minutes later, the engineer grins widely at the still-blushing man as he spreads his arms out wide.

“Happy birthday, Dorito!” He greets, and inwardly cringes at how exuberant he sounded just then. _Okay, dial down on the excitement there, Stark_ , he scolds himself. It’s the nerves, alright. He’s practiced and practiced until his fingers cramped and his voice turned hoarse, but in the end Tony’s somewhat satisfied with the progress he’s made in less than forty-eight hours. He’s nervous as fuck, but chances are it’s more to do with the fact that _he’s going to sing to Captain Steven G. Rogers in less than five hours_ and — okay, so maybe he’s panicking a bit. Just a bit. “Easy on the alcohol, yeah? Don’t want any embarrassing videos being uploaded online! Fury’ll have a conniption!” He adds with a playful wink.

Steve laughs and he shakes his head, a fond smile gracing his handsome features before he pulls Tony into a tight hug. Tony makes an ‘oomph’ sound, but he doesn’t hesitate to hug the taller man back.

“Thank you, Tony,” Steve says earnestly, and Tony fights back a shiver when he feels the other man’s breath ghost over the shell of his ear.

Tony pats his back before they both pull away after a few moments. “It’s nothing, Steve. Besides, it wasn’t just me! The rest of the team pitched in, too.”

“I know. I’m making my rounds of thanking everyone. It just so happened I started with you. Still, thank you. This party looks great, and I can already see you have a few entertaining activities in store for us.”

Tony winks at him, not hesitating to say in a conspiratorial tone, “Oh, that’s not the only thing I've got planned for tonight.”

The super soldier gives him an amused look. “Okay. I’ll believe it when I see it, Tony.”

Though he doesn’t swallow the dryness he feels in his throat, Tony makes a ‘heh’ sound (seriously? What the fuck, Stark?) before he claps a hand on Steve’s back.

“Sure. Yeah. You’ll be dazzled. I hope. Right, okay. I’m off to make some rounds with the guests again, so enjoy your party, Cap. Don’t drink anything Clint gives you.”

Tony has his back turned already, but he smirks when he hears Steve laugh out loud at his parting words.

* * *

“Were you able to decide on what to give him?” Pepper asks the moment Tony reaches her side half an hour later.

“Of course I did, Pep.” Tony scoffs and takes a sip of his scotch as his eyes survey the room.

It actually looks pretty cool. Who would’ve thought that a team of superheroes can also be competent when it comes to party planning? Definitely not him.

They all decided to settle on a jazz club-like theme, so it was all warm lights and snazzy decor, with the combined efforts of Natasha and Bruce decorating the place earlier. Clint and Thor tag-teamed once again, but this time they were in charge of the food (they had all of Steve’s favorites cooked by a hired chef, of course) and drinks, stocking the bar with the best and strongest alcohol. The engineer himself contributed by taking charge of the evening’s playlist, sticking closely to Steve’s favorites, the music playing from a jukebox. Tony also rented a photo booth that prints the photos in sepia tone that gives a 40s feel to it, as well as set up three rounds of fireworks displays that’ll go off in intervals during the duration of the party.

Because if there’s one thing Steve loves, it’s fireworks. His birthday also falling on their country’s Independence Day is just the icing on the cake, which gave him more opportunities to go crazy with the pyrotechnics show.

Overall, Tony’s satisfied with how everything turned out. If only the butterflies in his stomach would settle so he could focus on more important things, like try to enjoy this goddamn party.

Pepper raises an eyebrow at him, obviously seeing through Tony’s haughty expression. “What did you do?”

Tony winces slightly at her ‘please tell me you didn’t fuck up’ tone. In a quiet voice, he answers, “Well… I may or may not have purchased a grand piano the other day.”

It takes the CEO of Stark Industries a few seconds for those words and its meaning to sink in before she reacts. Eyes widening in shock, Pepper stares at Tony with an astonished look.

“Oh, wow. Tony, are you—”

“Sure? Serious? Crazy? Sleep-deprived?” Tony ticks them off his fingers. When Pepper doesn’t say anything, only continues to look at him with a half-concerned half-proud look, the engineer sighs deeply before he drains his glass. “Yes to all, in case you’re wondering. But honestly, Pep? I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking when I decided, to, well. You know.”

After that, he tells Pepper the interaction he had with Steve at the communal kitchen from a few days ago, and how the super soldier’s words jarred some memories he wasn’t aware he could still recall until that fateful day. And how, in the years he’s been living and fighting with the Avengers, none of them knew of his musical abilities. How he accidentally on purpose kept it a secret from them. It wasn’t in his file for the proposal of The Avengers Initiative, that Tony knows of for certain. So in that time he decided to gift Steve with a private performance (which will happen sooner than later, he thinks with trepidation), Tony knows that it’ll be the most honest and most open he’ll ever be towards another person.

Because when you’re unable to say the words you want to say to the person who means everything to you, then what else could Tony do but to sing his heart out to the man? Quite literally, too.

He’s done with the pining, to be honest. Sooner or later, Steve will find out that Tony has feelings for him, and Tony would rather have said feelings be revealed under his own terms. Granted, he knows Captain Righteous is bisexual himself, having confessed to Tony a long time ago that he used to have a thing for his best friend Bucky when they were in their teens. Of course, Steve hasn’t dated much — or at all, frankly speaking — since he woke up, but that is of his own volition, rather than a lack of prospects.

When Tony’s done speaking, he has his glass refilled by Happy and has downed half of his drink before he dares to take a peek at Pepper. The auburn-haired woman is looking at him with a soft expression, one Tony is acutely aware of that means Pepper’s _moved_ by his words.

As if Tony isn’t capable of expressing thoughts and emotions well beyond a 12-year-old.

“I think it’s a great idea, Tony,” Pepper finally says. She takes Tony’s hand in hers and squeezes his slightly shaking fingers, the engineer squeezing back and shooting her a smile of gratitude. Then she cocks her head to the side as she remembers something. “Come to think of it, you pretty much took my advice to heart.”

This time, Tony huffs out in laughter. “Yeah, pretty much.”

Pepper smiles at him again. “Steve’s going to love whatever it is you’ve planned to perform for him, Tony. Don’t overthink it, okay?”

He nods his head and takes a deep breath. “Right. Yeah. Thanks, Pep. You’re getting a raise.” He adds as an afterthought.

Pepper rolls her eyes but doesn’t say anything. But if her knowing smile is anything to go by, there’s no doubt in Tony’s mind that she was able to read between the lines. She always does, anyway.

* * *

It’s a little before eleven when the party starts to wind down. Several of the guests had already left by then, grumbling all the way to the elevator that they still have work the next day. By eleven thirty, it’s only the team that’s left in the common area. Bruce and Thor are picking up empty bottles of beer and dumping them in large, black trash bags. Natasha is lounging comfortably on the couch, drinking vodka straight from the bottle like the hardcore Russian she is as she silently observes Clint down shot after shot of tequila. The archer has drank twelve shots so far, and it’s clear to everyone that Clint is eager to get pissed drunk since he didn’t get the chance to earlier.

Seeing that the rest of his teammates are occupied, Tony stares at Steve who’s carefully setting aside another birthday card (that’s the twenty-second card now, the engineer observes) and waits until the super soldier looks up to meet his eyes. From across the room, Tony’s lips quirk and he gestures his head to the elevator. Eyebrows raising in mild confusion, Steve nods and gets up from the stool where he was busy opening his gifts. Tony silently walks to the waiting elevator ( _thank you, J,_ he thinks fondly), hyperaware of Steve’s taller form two steps behind him.

It’s only when the elevator doors close and it starts to ascend to Tony’s penthouse that Steve decides to break the silence.

“What’s going on?” Steve asks, curious.

Tony tries to ignore the butterflies fluttering in his stomach as he says as nonchalantly as he can, “I still haven’t given you your gift yet, Cap.”

“My gift?”

This time, Tony rolls his eyes in mild-exasperation at the blond man’s befuddled expression.

“Yeah, duh. I did tell you that the party wasn’t the only thing I had planned tonight.”

“And that requires going somewhere in private?”

At Steve’s raised eyebrow, Tony can’t help the blush that spreads over his cheeks. “Uh. Yeah? I mean, _yeah_. What I have for you is for your eyes and ears only. Hence, why we’re going to my suite.”

Whoa, okay. That sounded a lot dirtier than Tony intended, but thankfully the accidental innuendo goes unnoticed by Steve. Instead, the super soldier blinks in surprise before he eyes Tony with a heartfelt look.

“Oh, Tony. You didn’t have to go through all this.”

“Yeah, I know,” Tony cuts in. They hear the ping of the lift as they reach his floor, and before they step out, he quickly adds, “I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to.”

Before Steve can reply, Tony walks ahead of him and makes a beeline to the grand piano placed between the living room and the floor-to-ceiling windows — giving it a perfect view of the balcony and landing pad, as well as New York City’s iconic skyline. The fireworks display was over hours ago, but there’s still the occasional colorful bursts of gunpowder that’s somewhat audible, painting the dark, cloudless sky every now and then. The only source of light they have is from the full moon and the high-rise buildings outside, exhibiting a very intimate ambience that Tony can’t help but notice.

He takes off his black blazer and throws it haphazardly towards one of the couches, rolling up the sleeves of his white button-down shirt up to his elbows as he takes a seat in front of the gleaming Steinway & Sons piano. Though he hasn’t played in several years, doing so the other day proved to Tony that he still got it. He knows he’s still a bit rough and would need to practice more, but for this one performance he’s rehearsed over and over again, Tony’s quite confident that he’ll do well. Ish.

He unbuttons the top two buttons of his shirt before he gestures with his hand for Steve to stand beside the grand piano. The blond man does so, albeit reluctantly, resting one large palm on the closed lid of the instrument as he regards Tony with a look of awe, mouth slightly open as his eyes move from the engineer to the piano and back again.

Centering himself, Tony takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. He stretches his fingers before lightly pressing them on the keys, playing a few random notes to prep himself.

“So,” Tony begins with a nervous smile at Steve. “This is my gift — not the piano, just so we’re clear — but, uh, _this_. And before you ask: yes, I know how to play; and no, nobody else knows except you, Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy.”

“Oh, Tony…”

Tony flushes at Steve's stunned look. He quickly waves it off, feeling a little self-conscious then.

“Shush now. Enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime performance, Cap.”

Steve’s eyes are wide as saucers, and Tony wills his heart to stop pounding so hard. He takes another deep breath, and with one last shaky smile aimed at the handsome man still staring at him — this time with an unreadable expression Tony can’t discern — he focuses on his fingers starting to move deftly over the white and black keys.

After a few seconds, Tony starts to sing.

_“It’s a little bit funny, this feeling inside. I’m not one of those who can easily hide…”_

As he allows the beautiful melody to wash over him, the engineer finds himself meeting Steve’s wide eyes as he continues to sing. Every thought, every feeling, every word he’s kept bottled inside for the past few years in regards to the man standing in front of him comes spilling out from Tony’s lips like a confession.

Because it is.

A confession.

_“My gift is my song, and this one’s for you. And you can tell everybody this is your song. It may be quite simple, but now that it’s done…”_

Besides, it doesn’t matter now. Not anymore, anyway. What’s done is done, and he’s already made his decision. All Tony can do is make each second of this moment count and milk every look Steve’s giving him now.

Like as if Tony’s just given him the world. Like as if _Tony_ is Steve’s whole world, and the blond man is just now realizing that everything he’s ever wanted and needed has been in front of him all along.

A distant part of Tony’s overactive brain wonders if he unconsciously made the best decision ever, and he ponders on the possibility of _‘Could it really be that simple?’_

 _“Anyway, the thing is what I really mean. Yours are the sweetest eyes I’ve ever seen,”_ Tony slightly cocks his head, and he winks at Steve as he croons those words.

He feels satisfaction roll off of him in waves when he catches sight of Steve’s face turning a lovely shade of pink. But the blond man is grinning broadly at Tony that twin dimples appear on his cheeks, and the engineer can’t help but swoon a little at the captivated look Steve’s giving him.

The next thing he knows, the song is drawing to a close, and Tony’s nimble fingers play effortlessly over the keys as he sings the last words.

_“I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words, how wonderful life is while you’re in the world…”_

He plays the last note and holds it for a few seconds before letting go. All throughout, not once did he avert his gaze from Steve, and Tony marvels at the mere fact that he managed to not fuck up.

Well, there’s a first time for everything, right?

When several seconds pass and Steve continues to remain quiet, eyes still wide and mouth slightly agape, Tony bites his lower lip and starts to fidget in his seat.

“Uh, Cap? Steve?” Tony asks at last, unable to take the silence any longer. “Some feedback would be nice. Preferably ‘thank you’.”

It’s like he said the magic words because Steve blinks and shakes his head. Tony sees his Adam’s apple bob up and down as the blond man swallows a few times. By this point, Tony already got up from his seat and is now standing a few feet away from him.

After several moments, Steve opens his mouth to speak.

“That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed,” he utters breathlessly, sounding choked with emotion. Tony’s stomach swoops at the admission, and Steve continues, “ _Tony_. Oh my god, I’m — shit — I don’t know what to say. I don’t — wow.”

Tony’s lips quirk upwards into a shy smile as he quips, “How ‘bout a ‘thank you’?”

Steve opens his mouth and closes it. He does that a few more times before he huffs out in laughter with a shake of his head. Tony continues to stare at him, and he can discern that Steve’s contemplating on something before the blond man blinks. Determination is evident on his face when Steve meets Tony’s eyes once more, and the engineer forces himself to stay rooted in his spot when the man closes the distance between them.

It’s when their chests are nearly touching, and Tony can smell Steve’s familiar scent mixed with the alcohol in his breath, that it registers in the engineer that he’s never been _this_ up close and personal with Captain America.

“Tony,” Steve starts, his voice soft and fond, and Tony feels his insides turn to jelly upon hearing that tone directed towards him.

“Steve,” Tony replies quietly.

“You’re incredible.”

“So are you.”

Steve smiles, and he raises a hand to rest on Tony’s cheek, thumb slowly caressing his jaw as the rest of his fingers card through the small hairs at the back of Tony’s neck. The engineer is incapable of holding back a shiver, and he involuntarily closes his eyes at the intimate gesture. When Tony opens his eyes again, he feels heat curl low in his abdomen when he’s met with Steve’s hooded eyes, dark with desire.

 _For Tony_.

_Oh my god, this is happening. It's happening. Holy fuck —_

However, his internal rambling is interrupted by Steve’s next words, and they're a beautiful contrast to the promise and intent in his expression, lips hovering millimeters over Tony’s.

“Thank you,” the blond man whispers softly, reverently, before he finally — _finally_ — seals his lips over Tony's in a gentle kiss.

Tony sighs into Steve's mouth in contentment, his hands moving of its own accord to rest on Steve’s hips and pulling him closer until they’re pressed together. Steve lightly bites Tony’s lower lip, and the engineer doesn’t bother to hide his moan as the taller man wraps his other arm around Tony, his large hand resting on the small of his back.

“Happy birthday, Steve,” Tony murmurs in between fervent kisses.

He feels Steve smile against his lips, and Tony doesn’t hesitate to open his mouth for Steve to press his tongue against his.

“Thank you, Tony,” Steve murmurs back, and Tony hears the love he feels reciprocated in the other man’s tone and mouth. And god, what a talented mouth he has.

As their kissing deepened and became more frantic, Tony doesn't think twice and starts to walk backwards to lead Steve towards the direction of his bedroom, the super soldier not hesitating to unbutton the rest of Tony’s shirt.

Once he has also unbuttoned Steve’s shirt and carelessly throws it somewhere behind him, Tony belatedly thinks, _Thanks, mom. Thanks, Elton John_.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think! Reviews are motivation (and love)!


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